Welcome to the Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter, Issue 336 for the week September 23 - 29, 2013.

In This Issue

Ubuntu 13.10 (Saucy Salamander) Final Beta released

Welcome New Members and Developers

Ubuntu Stats

OhioLinuxFest 2013

Nicholas Skaggs: Spreading the (testing) weight

Jonathan Riddell & Kubuntu: Kubuntu România

Jonathan Riddell: Switching to Kubuntu comments

Nicholas Skaggs: A vision for our testing future

Benjamin Kerensa: Ubuntu Dash Search Is Still Not Anonymous

Canonical Design Team: Latest from the web team — September 2013

Canonical Design Team: Wednesday App Clinic – Update

In The Blogosphere

Full Circle Magazine #77

Featured Audio and Video

Weekly Ubuntu Development Team Meetings

Upcoming Meetings and Events

Updates and Security for 10.04, 12.04, 12.10 and 13.04

And much more!

General Community News

Ubuntu 13.10 (Saucy Salamander) Final Beta released

Adam Conrad, on behalf of the Ubuntu Release Team, announces the final beta release of Ubuntu 13.10, lists the flavors that are participating in the release, and links to where the images can be downloaded. Adam also provides links that tell us further information about the release, how we can help shape Ubuntu, and where to report bugs.

The Planet

Nicholas Skaggs: Spreading the (testing) weight

Nicholas Skaggs writes that the Ubuntu Quality Team has gained responsibilities other than the reporting of bugs on the latest desktop development images and building tools. Because handling test cases for the Ubuntu touch images and apps is adding some undue "weight", the Ubuntu CI team was born to specialize in Ubuntu Touch-related testing. Nicholas also hopes that the Ubuntu Quality team will have a better vision for the next cycle.

Jonathan Riddell & Kubuntu: Kubuntu România

Jonathan Riddell announces the launch of Kubuntu România, a Romanian language website for Kubuntu news and support, and shares a photograph with us of site creator Ovidiu-Florin who had a launch ceremony with wine and ribbon to open it.

Jonathan Riddell: Switching to Kubuntu comments

Nicholas Skaggs: A vision for our testing future

Nicholas Skaggs writes about bringing the Quality team closer to automation and proposes that the group take an exploratory approach to manual test cases, start writing more automated test cases, and manually test phablet devices. Nicholas also explains how these actions are necessary and how they will affect the team.

Canonical Design Team: Latest from the web team — September 2013

Canonical Design Team: Wednesday App Clinic – Update

Katie Taylor reports that there has been a fantastic response to the two Wednesday App Clinics and thanks those who sent her their apps and questions. Katie reminds us that the clinics are on Wednesdays at 1pm UTC on Ubuntu On-Air and that previous design clinics can be viewed on YouTube.

In The Blogosphere

Canonical is gold sponsor at October 2013's OggCamp open-source event

razvi from iloveubuntu.net tells us that Canonical is a gold sponsor at OggCamp, which is happening next 18th October. He says, “The OggCamp sponsoring is yet-another evidence of Canonical's awareness of and participation in the open-source ecosystem, and of its deep and constantly-maintained interest in pushing forward the adoption of open-source collaborative software and projects at a planetary scale”.

Are We Witnessing the Decline of Ubuntu?

Bruce Byfield from Datamation writes an article about how they see the current status of Ubuntu and its relation with Canonical. Byfield writes "Ubuntu and Canonical have isolated themselves from the free software community that Shuttleworth once hoped to lead. In the last year, the community has signaled repeatedly that at least parts of it feel disempowered."

Ubuntu 13.04 vs. Ubuntu 13.10 In A VMware VM

Michael Labarel from Phoronix writes a comparison between Raring and Saucy running in a VMware VM and concludes: "Long story short, there wasn't too much to get excited about. While there's an updated kernel several releases ahead, the Mesa 9.2 graphics stack, GCC 4.8, etc, it didn't translate to much of a difference in the VMware Fusion guest."

Ubuntu converged's Ubuntu System Settings received Bluetooth support

razvi from iloveubuntu tells us about the now supported feature of Bluetooth for Ubuntu Touch, writing: "Basically, the new Bluetooth addition gives depth and dedicated view to the main view's Bluetooth icon; clicking on it, shifts the Ubuntu System Settings' view to a Bluetooth view where the user is to notice the handy ON/OFF switch for bluetooth. Moreover, Connect a headset shows interesting upcoming features, where probably bluetooth-related devices are to be managed and tweaked accordingly."

Dell Still Offers Ubuntu Amid Microsoft Loan, Windows 8.1

The VAR Guy addresses the recent privatization of Dell that included a loan from Microsoft and explores the impact that has had on their Ubuntu offering. He writes that the loan, "which will include a big Windows 8.1 push, has not upended Dell's continued work with Ubuntu, the Linux distribution that has found a home on millions of desktops, servers and mobile devices." He continues, "Dell sees Ubuntu as a potential springboard into a range of international markets. A case in point: Dell is expanding the number of China retail stores that carry its computers with Ubuntu pre-installed."

Glossary of Terms

Ubuntu - Get Involved

The Ubuntu community consists of individuals and teams, working on different aspects of the distribution, giving advice and technical support, and helping to promote Ubuntu to a wider audience. No contribution is too small, and anyone can help. It's your chance to get in on all the community fun associated with developing and promoting Ubuntu. http://www.ubuntu.com/community/get-involved